


Been Through

by GeomeunNabi



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:35:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23208613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeomeunNabi/pseuds/GeomeunNabi
Summary: Indie singer Minseok hasn't thought about his college boyfriend in years: too busy getting his own act together, buying a coffee shop, making music, growing up. So when one of his musician friends brings in the new ballad album topping the charts, he has two questions: who the heck is Chen, and why do all Chen's songs seem to be about him?
Relationships: Kim Jongdae | Chen/Kim Minseok | Xiumin, Kim Jongin | Kai/Kim Junmyeon | Suho
Comments: 11
Kudos: 81
Collections: SnowSpark Fest Round One





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> PROMPT NO. 9
> 
> I would like to thank the prompter for giving such a great prompt to write! Although I am sorry that I slightly deviated from it a little. 
> 
> I would also like to thank my ever so lovely beta! I love her so much. 
> 
> I really hope you all will enjoy this fic! Thank you so much.

Birds chirping.

The coffee machine gurgling another liter of brewed coffee. 

The consistent tapping from a ballpen hitting the piece of paper in a notebook. 

That was a mundane Monday, and that's how Minseok always started his day. 

He wakes up and immediately begins his morning routine at four in the morning, texting Junmyeon to get to the cafe early so he could have the freshly baked batches of pastry all ready for the day ahead. He hums to the latest rhythm from his new album and searches for his clothes.

After dressing in his usual attire for a Monday — a half sleeve shirt showing off one of his arms that had flowers inked on his skin (courtesy of his friend, Kyungsoo) — Minseok pulls on his coffee-brown apron, his name embroidered on the front because he tends to forget to wear his name tag. He combs his wet hair while he paces around the room, the noise of the television spouting the news of the current morning. 

Finally, he curls his hair, putting in the wax to keep it settled, and goes downstairs to fix his cafe. His cat meows as she follows him out of the apartment, the pads of her paws pattering against the carpet as they go down. 

The first person who greets him is Junmyeon, his hair dishevelled and messy. The other man yawns and waves at him. He waves back, before putting down his things on his regular table; pens, notebooks, a laptop and his earphones all set up. He sees the other man bring out a medium sized tray, full of delicacies that would make eyes and stomach exhilarate with delight and hunger. Junmyeon had always been his friend that helped him run his business when he was either on tour or in the midst of another comeback. The man had always been there to give him a helping hand no matter the challenge that came to their tiny café. 

Jongin arrives not long after, a young dancer who works as a waiter and a cashier. He gives them an enthusiastic smile as he sets up the register. Minseok has known Jongin from back when he was still a freshman, a carefree and broke one, who almost knocked them off their feet due to his enthusiasm and kind charm. That same charm also worked on men and women alike when they went inside and the dancer was the one to greet them. 

They all worked in tandem; Junmyeon was inside the kitchen, preparing the morning menu. Jongin was the one to get the orders and punch them in the register, he was also the one who was in charge of the dessert bar just at the left side of the ordering area. Minseok was the barista, he brewed the coffee, as well as serving the meals Junmyeon brings out so that the other man doesn’t leave his station. Although, there are some instances when Minseok isn’t around and Kyungsoo helps them out, working as a temporary chef while Junmyeon became in charge of the drinks. On special nights, Minseok performs with his guitar on their platform, playing his compositions with no words in between, just the strums of his guitar and his hums. 

Their café opens on the dot, and like clockwork, their usual daily customers arrive; a middle-aged businessman, who orders half a dozen ham and cheese croissants and the same quantity of iced-americanos. The man leaves the second he gets his orders. 

Second, a young mother, with her child in tow, dines in, ordering a coffee and hot chocolate for her daughter, they eat the special of the day which was the blueberry waffles with a side of bacon and eggs. The young girl always looks at Minseok with awe, often calling him Mr. Kitty due to his eyes. There was that one time when the girl gave him a kitty headband as a gift, and Minseok had happily accepted it, enjoying the way her eyes sparkled when he put it on top of his head. The pair leaves with the mother leaving a tip and the young girl cheerfully saying her  _ ‘thank yous’ _ to Jongin and Minseok. 

Third is a high-school girl, who always looks dreaded and dead. She orders an iced-latte, with a lot of sugar that even Minseok blanches at. She gives a kind smile and leaves, sipping the latte as she walks out. The customers come and go quite often, but lunch hours were always so hectic since there were a lot of people who like what Junmyeon cooks.

That’s why it was weird to see Chanyeol suddenly visit them, looking all dandy. He barges into the café, spooking both Tan and Jongin. The man has a huge smile on his face as he waves his hand at them, Minseok only smiles back softly, going out the counter and greeting him. 

“Morning Chanyeol, what brings you here today?” he asks, crossing his arms and leaning over the marble counter. 

“I’m just back from an album release, from Chen, I can’t believe that guy suddenly got famous and it was about time, too! His works are so good,” Chanyeol says, pulling him from behind the counter and to his usual work table.

He gives Minseok the album in his hand, the cover art seemingly depicting an abstract yet descriptive painting of a man walking down a green scenery. His eyes then scans the title.

“Beautiful Goodbye? Doesn’t this seem like a sad song for you Chan?” he asks, glancing up at his friend.

“No song is too sad if Chen is the one singing it! Besides, didn’t you know? When the music video was released it immediately topped the charts.” Chanyeol bounces in his spot, looking much too excited in the quiet of the cafe. People turn to stare at him oddly, causing the taller man to blush as he quietly sinks down into his chair. 

“Well, seeing as you like it so much, I’ll give it a listen. Let me put this up on the speaker then,” he says before standing up and walking over to where the stereo is. He places the CD inside and presses play. The moment he hears the track, his eyes widen. The voice seems… so familiar. 

**_“When April fades away, let’s walk away as if nothing’s wrong...”_ **

Minseok’s eyebrows curl in confusion. He just couldn’t understand why and who that man was. He looks at the CD and back at the album. 

“Who are you?” he whispers to the album, glancing back at Chanyeol who seems to have caught his confused expression. His tall friend looks just as confused as he is, albeit for a completely different reason.   
  


“Something wrong?” he asks, standing up and moving to where he is.

Minseok shakes his head. “No — Well, I don’t think so? The voice just… sounds familiar.”

“Huh,” Chanyeol hums thoughtfully, taking the album from Minseok’s hand. Minseok reluctantly gives it back. “Maybe you’ve heard him around somewhere? He’s getting quite popular.”

  
“Yeah… Yeah, maybe that’s why.” 

Chanyeol thanks him and orders a burger with a side of fries. He sits down on Minseok’s table as he looks at him pondering who the mystery man was. 

“Look, as much as I want to help you, the internet doesn’t even say that much., He’s basically anonymous, and he’s already becoming famous.” He says, while sipping some juice. 

Minseok hums. “Ah, I see..” 

“But anyway, I should take off soon. I still have a gig later. I’m gonna work with  _ the _ Byun Baekhyun.,” he mentions with a smile before taking a bite from his burger..

“Byun Baekhyun? You mean the guy who sang UN Village?” Minseok looks at him, impressed.

“Yep, you betcha! And he’s planning to have a comeback soon!” Chanyeol replies just as enthusiastically. He quickly finishes his meal before he stands up to leave.

“Wait! What about your CD?” Minseok says, noticing that Chen’s album is left on the table and the CD is still playing over the speakers. 

“Keep it for now, I’ll come back for it later.” Chanyeol gives him a wave goodbye, and leaves. Minseok can only wave back, but still confused as ever.

**_“My day is filled with you, but nobody knows how I truly feel...”_ **

The day ends by 8, the trio tired while they cleaned up. Jongin mops the floor while Junmyeon cleans up the messy kitchen. Minseok is checking their storage, reading through the list, twice, thrice, before becoming satisfied. By the time he’s done with the inventory, he sees Jongin helping Junmyeon in the kitchen, laughing at Junmyeon since he looked like he just wrestled a sack of flour. Junmyeon whines, and hits Jongin’s chest playfully, and the dancer plays along, pretending to be hurt from the punch, even to the point of lying to the ground, dead. 

“Ok guys, stop playing around, we have to close up soon,” Minseok says, leaning by the kitchen door. The two laugh as they follow the eldest; Junmyeon helps Jongin up, and Jongin returns the favour by kissing Junmyeon’s forehead and hugging him tight. Minseok coos at his two friends, watching as the pair help each other clean, Jongin even stealing time just to peck Junmyeon on the cheeks to make the older man blush in embarrassment. 

“Alright lovebirds, get cleaned, I don’t want any dust or flour in my bathroom when I use it later ok?” he calls once they‘re done, brushing past him to go upstairs. 

“Don’t worry about it, Min. If there is a mess, it’ll be Junmyeon’s fault,” Jongin jokes, taking Junmyeon’s hand in his. Minseok just rolls his eyes and shoos them away. 

The duo, once they were clean, bid their goodbyes to the owner.

Minseok offers to wait for a cab with them, standing outside, shivering as the soft November wind blows.

“You know, you could always say that you’ll hire some help so that you can continue composing,” Junmyeon says, smiling.

“Composing and singing are just a hobby. Yeah, I know a song of mine really gave this business a booming start, but you know I don’t like attention that much,” he replies, looking up at the sky.

“I saw you looking broken when that Chen guy’s song was playing.” 

Minseok shrugs his shoulders. “His voice seemed familiar. I just don’t know why.” 

The sudden arrival of the taxi breaks their conversation. Minseok watches as Jongin helps Junmyeon into the car, before climbing in after.

“You two should just move in together, less stuff to pay for, you know?” Minseok says. 

“We’re working on it, ok? Maybe in a few months if things go well,” Jongin answers, smiling at him.

“See you tomorrow Min!” 

The two leave and Minseok breathes out a sigh of relief. He goes upstairs and gets ready for bed. He takes a quick bath, gets his evening skin routine checked, and lies on the bed with a tired slump. Turning his head, he takes a deep breath in and looks outside his window for a while, the twinkling lights and the moon peeking out of the clouds making him feel at peace and yet in discomfort. He looks at the nightstand with his blue lamp lighting up the dark room and looks at the picture next to it. 

It was him, during the opening of his café, Junmyeon decided to take the photo for him as commemoration. He smiles softly and before he knows it, he’s fast asleep. 

_ “You shine like the stars; you light up my heart.” A voice sang to him. Minseok opened his eyes and it seemed like he was back to that time when he was still a junior in college. The same old messy things, which was not intentional, he was a college boy, give him a break.  _

_ His guitar was at the corner of the room, and his old laptop was also there, charging. The piles upon piles of sheet music was also there again. He felt a weight on his crossed legs on his bed, and he looked down and saw a tuft of bleached hair resting on his thigh, playing around with his hand, squeezing his fingers lightly. His body was covered with his old Gudetama blanket as he cuddled closer to his thigh. _

_ “At the end of today’s hardships, brightly shine on me,” the man sang as he kissed his hand, each finger and knuckle. Minseok felt his younger self smile in delight as the man kissed his hand again. He laughed and positioned his body. He could see the man’s lips, cat-like and curled so cutely. Unfortunately, he couldn’t see his face, just his lips and his body.  _

_ “That would make good lyrics, right Min?” he asked, pulling the Gudetama blanket closer to his body. He nodded and lowered his head down, kissing his forehead.  _

_ “Yeah it would, what would you title that song?” he asked the man. _

_ The man pondered for a second, giving a few moments of silence to him. He then laughed in realization when he knew his answer. _

_ “Been Through, I want to sing a song about love, our love.” The man giggled and finally met Minseok’s lips with his own, giving him a soft peck before pulling away. He pulled the man on his lap, the man playfully struggling while he did it. When he finally got the man onto his lap, he hugged him tightly, kissing his collarbone.  _

_ “That tickles you dumbass, stop doing that!” the man laughed, holding Minseok in his arms. _

_ Minseok grinned. “Your dumbass.”  _

_ “I know you are.” He laughed again before pulling him in for another kiss. They curl up in each other’s embrace, holding each other tight. The man then nipped his cheek and Minseok yelped, tackling him down onto the bed.  _

_ “Come on Dae, you know I don’t like that,” he whined while he smothered the man with more kisses on his neck.  _

_ “I know! That’s why I’m doing it!” the man smirked, pulling Minseok down with him. As he kept tickling him, the world suddenly blurred more and more until everything faded into a black space.  _

  
  


The alarm wakes him up, his eyes suddenly opening wide. He groans in irritation as he checks the clock, 6 A.M., Tuesday. He turns the alarm clock off and curls into his blankets. Tan meows and jumps onto the bed, confused as to why her owner hasn’t gotten up yet. Minseok whines and hugs Tan, who doesn’t put up a fight.

“Tan, I had a dream about a man last night, do you think it’s because of that guy earlier?” he asks his cat. Tan only tilts her head in confusion, before cuddling closer to the heat of her owner. She meows and licks the hand that was petting her soft fur. He sighs and pats her head, rubbing her ears. 

Minseok stands up and looks out the window once again, this time the sky is still gray with a bit of an orange to blue hue. He smiles to himself, and gets ready for the day once more. 

Days turn into weeks, and before Minseok realizes, two weeks have passed by, The days were melding into together due to his routine and it felt like everything was just one plain day made out of other days. He sighs as he brews another glass and stares at his reflection in the drink, the bitter aroma seeping through and making him sigh once more, before he adds the condiments. Jongin notices him, and quickly looks away when Minseok catches his gaze, greeting another customer with a practiced smile and phrases. Minseok smiles slightly at his attempt to hide himself and just continues his brewing. 

Lunch comes by and Chanyeol suddenly barges in, looking more debauched than when he came here two weeks back. He still had a silly smile on his face, as he went to the counter, before slamming a piece of paper down onto the marble in front of Jongin. Jongin is spooked and he squeaks as Chanyeol shakes him rapidly by the shoulders. 

“Minseok! I have some NEWS for YOU!” Chanyeol shouts. Minseok has his eyes wide open and he just stares at the taller man. Jongin is whining and begging Chanyeol to stop as he’s still being shook. Chanyeol stops, before he takes Minseok’s hand and drags him to Minseok’s table. Minseok only rolls his eyes as he awaits the news of the overexcited man. 

“You know Baekhyun, right?” Chanyeol asks, a wide smile still plastered across his face. It honestly reminds Minseok of a cartoon character from a television series. 

“Yes, I know Baekhyun. I wasn’t born yesterday, Chanyeol.” 

“Well, guess who just got a collaboration?” Chanyeol waves the piece of paper around. 

“Let me guess…You?” he asks.

“No, you dumbass, it’s  _ you! _ I’m just helping with the music.”

“Oh wow, that’s gre----wait… _ me _ ?” Minseok chokes on his own words, looking at Chanyeol with wide eyes. Chanyeol nods rapidly, even to the point of making himself dizzy. Minseok covers his mouth, his hands shaking. He almost screams inside the café. Chanyeol stands up and hugs him tight. Minseok hugs him back, slapping his back hard. Jongin cheers for him at the counter and runs to tell Junmyeon the news. 

Junmyeon comes out of the kitchen, all covered in flour and hugs Minseok who was still in shock, Jongin follows and joins the hugging pile soon after. It’s only when they notice the smell of burning food that they pull apart and go back to work, Junmyeon screaming as he runs back to check what it was coming from. The other three men only laugh at him, before going to help him with the mess in the kitchen.

“A toast! To Minseok and his way to get dick!” Chanyeol toasts as he brings up his beer bottle. They all raise their bottles, Junmyeon laughing at Chanyeol’s inappropriate toast, Jongin smiling as he raises his own bottle. Their friend Kyungsoo, finally having the free time to join them on one of their dinners, celebrates with them. 

Finally, Minseok raises his glass the highest before he quickly drinks down the contents. He feels overwhelmed, one of his favorite artists asking for a collaboration with him, a man whose music is just a hobby and has published only one album, which said album had quickly made him known in the music industry. Little do his friends know that he had turned down every single offer to be part of an agency, since he only wanted to still live simply and not make his hobby, or technically one his passions, an actual stress maker in his life. 

He only wanted to make music, since first, he uses music to show his emotions, second, how he would use this medium to express himself and finally using it as a creative outlet. It was just like how Junmyeon does baking to show his skills and Jongin dancing to meet his dreams. It’s exactly like that, and now his hobby is suddenly turning into an actual, stable thing. 

Well, for now that is. 

The men made small banter as they ate in the little family restaurant that Junmyeon had found one time while he was out. Kyungsoo was asking about the new updates with the café and if anything had happened while he was busy. Minseok told him about the collaboration while they waited for the others to come earlier. Minseok also showed the email Chanyeol gave him while they waited. The email said that Baekhyun would visit the café in the coming days to talk about possible concepts and themes for the collaboration.

Chanyeol was going to help with the whole process, helping to record and compose new pieces for the possible album they could make. Baekhyun was a kind person to take to it turns out. He quickly wanted to add Minseok’s number after the next three emails. He felt bashful when the singer texted him, asking immediately when he was free and giving him the whole day tomorrow just to talk. 

**_“Ok, see you tomorrow! >u<” _ **

The last text Baekhyun had sent before going out with his friends.

“Come on Min, Junmyeon is close to hurling at this point.” Chanyeol laughs as he looks at the baker, whose skin has become an awful shade of green and looks about to vomit on Jongin, who’s also just as green. 

Minseok nods and helps the lightweights up, Chanyeol handles the bill for this time, jokingly telling them that Minseok will be the one paying next time. They haul the couple back to Kyungsoo’s car. The tattoo artist tells them that he’ll be the one taking them home, rolling his eyes when Junmyeon starts speaking gibberish, something about flour and cakes, before stopping just to squeeze Jongin’s cheeks.

“God, just pray for me that I won’t get too pissed and just leave them out on the street,” Kyungsoo says as he glares at the two. Minseok pats his shoulder and hugs him tightly, Kyungsoo smirks a little and hugs back just as tight before going inside his car. 

“Congrats on your collaboration Minseok, don’t forget us ok?” 

“Don’t worry you idiot, I won’t,” Minseok says, waving him goodbye. 

Kyungsoo drives, leaving Chanyeol and Minseok to wait for another ride. A few minutes later, the taxi arrives and Minseok, being the older one of the two, immediately offers the car first to Chanyeol, but the taller man denies. 

“Senior citizens first, Minseok,” Chanyeol says.

“You brat.” Minseok puffs out his cheeks in faux-annoyance and whacks Chanyeol’s chest playfully before he climbs inside the taxi. The driver asks where he’s going and Minseok gives the directions to his cafe. The streetlights and starlight twinkle during the night as he watches them go by, people that were in another outdoor concert in the city park, and finally the neon lights blinking in and out in the many buildings that they pass. 

“Long night sir?” the driver asks him.

“You can say that,” he replies, still looking outside. 

The driver smiles and looks at him through the mirror and just nods, he continues to drive at a steady pace until they arrive at his destination. Minseok thanks the man and pays the fare, a nice tip included. He gets out of the cab and walks back to his apartment. Only his steps gave the loud thumps as he went up, the creaks in the staircase, the soft glow from the lights he left on before he left. 

He looks for his keys, efficiently fishing them out from his right jacket pocket. He goes inside and sees his cat, asleep on the kitchen counter lost in her dreams. He gives her a little pat before continuing to his bedroom. Minseok quickly changes his clothes in turn for his nightwear and falls asleep the moment his body hits the soft cotton bed.

_ “You know, you could have said something earlier.”  _

_ Minseok opened his eyes, and he was back in this college, this time by the big lake under the giant tree. It was another dream perhaps. He looked to his side and saw Dae again, this time his hair fully blonde as he ate some pasta.  _

_ “Said what exactly?” Minseok asked, reaching up to help clean a spot on the corner of Dae’s mouth. Dae blushed and ducked his head at Minseok’s attempt. He took a handkerchief on his own and wiped his mouth. _

_ “That you liked me, that you wanted to approach me during that frat party that I was invited to,” he said, before continuing to eat. _

_ “What can I say? I was shy, and you were talking to another guy, what was his name again? The guy who dressed up like a Christmas tree in the middle of July because we said it was a costume party?”  _

_ “Yixing, and he only approached me since he liked my audition in the choir.” _

_ “Isn’t he in the dance troupe though?” _

_ “He’s part of both actually, and a band by the way. Anyway, I would have asked I would have still said yes.” _

_ Minseok felt his eyes go wide as Jongdae’s words sank into him. _

_ “W-Well…I guess I’m glad I finally asked. I mean I really, really love you.” _ _   
_ _   
  
_

_ He looked at Dae again, this time his mouth wide open, face turning redder and redder by the second. Minseok looked at him confused, until he realized what he had said and quickly covered his mouth, a blush also forming.  _

_ “Did you say you love me?” Dae asked, moving closer to him. _ _   
  
_

_ “Yes, I guess I really, really do mean that,” he whispered softly. Dae grinned and tackled him into a tight hug. _

_ “You know, I could say the exact same thing to you,” he said before leaning down to kiss him. _

Then Minseok is suddenly pulled back into the real world, his eyes shooting open as if the kiss felt real. He places his dry fingertips on his lips, as if he’s chasing the warmth from his dream, thinking that it was all real, but he knows it isn’t. 

He breathes deeply, and just curls back into his blanket, holding the fabric tightly in his hands. 

“Just who are you?”

**_“Someday, somewhere, somehow…I’ll love again, I just need to find someone...”_ **

  
  



	2. 2

**_“Sorry I have to cancel meeting you today, I’m not feeling well. Here I’ll send you the address of my café if you ever want to just drop by to talk.”_ **

It has been a total of two weeks since that dream happened and Minseok has been restless ever since. He hasn’t texted Baekhyun for a reschedule and luckily the singer was considerate. The man even replied that he would just come by one morning. Other than feeling restless, he hasn't gotten that much sleep and he looked like one of the undead that Jongin watches him prepare coffee like those businessmen that come in early morning. Jongin pouts as Minseok says thank you to the customer with a dead inside aura, like all the joy in his life was sucked out immediately. 

“Minseokkie, you should sleep for a while. Myeonnie and I can manage the cafe for a while, you seem sleepy,” Jongin says after the usual lunch hour rush finished. The man in question grunts and takes a seat down onto the stool near the coffee machine. 

“Jongin, I’m fine, this is just cooped up stress, that’s it,” Minseok replies, looking at Jongin with glazed eyes. Jongin huffs in reply and drags him upstairs, Minseok only grunts but he reluctantly follows the younger man up to his bedroom. Jongin pushes him down onto his bed and tucks him in. Tan follows her human and lies down on the pink pillow near Minseok’s head. She immediately falls asleep first even before Minseok. When Minseok tries to sit up, Jongin only pushes him back down.

  
  
“I’m not leaving until I see you asleep. I’ll even get duct tape and tape you to the bed if I have to.” Jongin crosses his arms and levels Minseok with a little glare. 

Knowing Jongin, the dancer probably isn’t going to leave until he actually falls asleep. He only rolls his eyes playfully and tries falling asleep. Jongin sighs in relief as he sees the older man slowly drift off. 

“Sleep well Minnie,” Jongin whispers before turning off the lights and closing the door.

  
  


_ “Good Morning freshmen and welcome to Seoul University!” The spritely old man on the podium greeted, his chubby cheeks turning red and flush from both the heat and welcoming the new students for a new year in the university. _

_ Minseok only sighed, rolling his eyes at the person speaking. He had heard the same speech as last year. He only grunted nonchalantly but suddenly turned stiff after hearing a laugh from behind. He turned around and saw the most beautiful man he had ever seen. The corners of his lips curl up nicely, long beautiful blond lashes and an overly impressive set of brown eyes. The man caught Minseok looking at him and immediately averted his eyes, a blush forming on his cheeks.  _

_ “S-Sorry, I didn’t mean to stare at you! It’s just that I find you quite amusing looking all bored and done with what he is saying... and all,” the man stammered, his face flushing red. He quickly hid his face with the bag he was holding. Minseok smirked and reached over to lower the man’s bag down. The man once again tried to hide himself, but Minseok stopped him. The man bowed, and looked up at him with semi-teary eyes.  _

_ “I-I’m really sorry for laughing at you! I didn’t mean it, it was just that you seem funny and oh my god I’m blabbering nonsense again this is so---” The man was cut off when Minseok took his hand, his blush becoming redder by the minute.  _

_ “It’s fine, believe me it’s fine, you seem cute by the way,“ Minseok replied. _

_ “W-well, my friends keep saying that.”  _

_ “My name is Minseok by the way, 2 _ _ nd _ _ year music major,” Minseok said before shaking his hand.  _

_ “Oh! I’m a music major too! Kim Jongdae.” The man, Jongdae, excitedly shook his hand.  _

_ “I hope to see you on the campus often, Jongdae.”  _

Minseok shoots up from his bed, sweat covering him all over. He almost feels sticky at that point since he must have slept for a long time to sweat that much. His heart races so quickly that he can almost feel it leap out from his chest, on the precipice of exploding. 

But he feels so happy, he finally remembers his name, that man, his very first muse. 

“Jongdae,” he whispers to himself. 

The next few days are better for him since he didn’t have all that weight on his shoulders. Jongin and Junmyeon even applaud him for being back to his regular barista/Rockstar self. 

“Gosh, you guys. You don’t have to celebrate this during the breakfast rush, you know?” Minseok says, laughing at the pair since they were preparing an over the top breakfast, courtesy of Junmyeon and him once again experimenting for their menu change in a few weeks. 

“Of course it’s a big deal! Our manager is back and this calls for a celebration!!” Junmyeon shouts at him, slightly disturbing a few of the guests who were just eating their chosen meals. As the clatter of the plates and mugs happen, the trio don’t hear the ring of the entrance bell. They only realize a customer was there when they hear the high fangirl screams of the high school students. 

MInseok turns around and sees the one and only Baekhyun, covered with a cap, shades and a face mask. His eyes go wide when their eyes meet and Baekhyun even has the audacity to go to their table and take off his mask there and then.

“Is this café mirae?” he asks, while Jongin and Junmyeon run back to the kitchen. Minseok nods and stands up, feeling a little intimidated as one of the tops singers in Korea just set foot in his café. Baekhyun smiles and shakes his hand, Minseok’s eyes only widen as the man shakes his hand enthusiastically.

“You must be Minseok, then! It’s nice to finally meet you! I’m excited for the collaboration that we will have in the coming months,” Baekhyun says before putting down his bag in a vacant seat and bringing out his notebook and a pen. Minseok quickly takes the dirty dishes to the pair and settles down in the seat across from Baekhyun. 

Still a little starstruck, Minseok can only remain silent as Baekhyun speaks. “Well, do you have any final genres that you have in mind?” Baekhyun says as he writes down a series of genres that they had talked about prior to the meeting. Minseok looks at the list of genres; ballad, rock, hip-hop and finally, EDM. He thinks hard and long about it until he finally has an answer. 

“I think a ballad would be nice. Just to experiment with something new since I keep doing the other three here,” he says as he circles the words, Baekhyun smiles in glee and nods. 

“I really think ballad would suit you, Minseok, and it’s nice to see you wanting to experiment with a new genre,” Baekhyun replies with joy in his voice. “Which reminds me! A friend of mine told me that he would collaborate with us for one song if we ever chose a ballad — well, he said that meaning any genre we chose.” 

“Really? How come?”

“He’s really a devoted fan of yours ever since you released your debut song, and he is just so excited that we were gonna have a collaboration together,” Baekhyun says as he writes down this time the quantity and the schedules in which they could record or compose their songs. 

“Wow, he must be really informed with what I’m doing… Who is he, by the way?” Minseok asks.

“Well, he’s Chen,” Baekhyun says, thanking Jongin as he’s handed a cup of coffee. 

Minseok’s eyes go wide when he realizes what Baekhyun meant, that the singer that Chanyeol made him listen to was also going to be part of the collaboration. Baekhyun only smiles at him and laughs upon seeing that Minseok appears dumbfounded and just feeling surreal due to the news. Minseok immediately bows down to him. Baekhyun tries his best to dismiss his actions.

“Please please, sit down normally, this feels so weird since you are older than me,” Baekhyun says, helping Minseok back to his chair. As time passed, they talk about the possible songs, the schedules as well as a possible title track, unknowing to him the time had passed until it was 12 P.M. Baekhyun eventually had to leave, since he had another schedule in a few hours. He packs his things and shakes his hands. 

“I’ll see you in the first meeting?” he says, before giving him one last smile and putting on his mask. Minseok watches him leave the café, immediately going inside the car he used to get there and leaving in a few seconds. Minseok sighs in relief, feeling both excited and nervous for the upcoming events in the future. 

Who knows what will happen to them when it does? Right? They’ll be ok, and Minseok knows it. 

“Sooo, how was the thing?” Jongin asks, going out the moment Baekhyun leaves. Minseok only gives him a happy thumbs up before going back to his regular duties as the barista. 

“Well, all I can say is that I’m ready to go and buy that new album I guess, being your number one fan after all,” the younger man says before going back to help Junmyeon. Minseok watches Jongin go back to the kitchen slightly smiling due to his excitement. 

  
  
  


“I’m so sorry I’m late!” Baekhyun yells in the building where Minseok is waiting for him in the lobby. Minseok had been scrolling through his phone, looking at the latest updates from anything. He stands up and meets Baekhyun halfway. Baekhyun nods and they go up to the recording floor on the elevator together. As they wait to arrive at their destination, the soft music vibrates through the walls and Minseok hums with the music. The notifying sound from Baekhyun’s phone makes him stiffen and Baekhyun notices it. 

“Relax, it’s just Chen, he just said he was just waiting in the studio,” Baekhyun says. He keeps his phone in his pocket and waits as well. Minseok stiffens at the name, the sweat slowly dripping down his forehead although the ventilation is cold. The elevator door opens and Baekhyun proceeds forward, Minseok follows him with small indecisive steps. Baekhyun opens the door and Minseok hears a sweet voice singing. His feet stop and he just looks at the man who has his back turned. Minseok’s eyes fly open, unable to move as he listens to the man’s voice, sweet, and beautiful. Minseok feels entranced, like how he was in his dreams and it feels so nice in his chest. 

When the man turns around, the man slightly gasps, beautiful eyes looking back at him. The very same eyes that he fell in love with all those years ago. 

“Ah you must be Xiumin, I’m such a big fan of your work!” Chen smiles, stepping forward to shake Minseok’s hand. Minseok only looks at him, then at their entwined hands, then back at the man who is shaking his hand. When Chen separates from him, his entrancing smiles just makes him feel butterflies in his stomach, his heartbeat quickening every second and he feels like he is back home. 

“After all these years, you still look like that person I fell in love with.” 

**_“I always thought, I might be bad but I’m sure that it’s true, but I think I’m so blue and I’m nothing like you...”_ **


	3. 3

“So, shall we begin?” Chen says as he sits down in the lounge chair across from Minseok. Minseok nods and sits down as well, Baekhyun following soon after. Chen looks at him and smiles, radiant and beautiful like how he really is, Minseok smiles back and looks down, a blush on his face. Baekhyun only smirks and shakes his head, looking at the two idiots looking at the other with lovey-dovey eyes. If Baekhyun hadn’t nudged Chen with his elbow, Chen wouldn’t have stopped looking at the older man. Chen clears his throat, trying to compose himself and takes out a notebook. Minseok watches his hands flip the pages one by one, thinking how soft would those fingers be if they touched.

“Here’s the things that I have written down so far, does a happy love song seem good?” he asks, stopping at a page titled “Shall We”. Chen flips the page over to Minseok’s side as a sign for him to read the lyrics. Little by little, Minseok can feel the emotion that the song was feeling, happiness, resolve and —

_ Love. _

“Chen this is amazing, I can’t believe that there’s so much love in this and you haven’t even sung it. I can’t possibly sing this with you,” Minseok says before handing back the notebook. Chen accepts it back with a soft blush on his cheeks.

“Thank you so much, but I think you could really sing this with me,” he says, before asking one of the technicians to play an audio track. Minseok’s eyes widen when he hears a familiar deep and rich voice reverberating from the speakers.

“Is that Loey?” he asks, pointing at the desktop. The other nods, and they listen to the track until it ends. Baekhyun stretches his arms before going to the operation board and setting up the sound and the instruments. He then asks the technician to go and get more of the samples, and as the music plays Minseok can’t help but feel flustered being in the same room as Chen. With Baekhyun out of the equation temporarily, Minseok feels the tension slowly rise, but Chen doesn’t seem to mind, only engrossed with writing lyrics.

“So, how was working with Loey? No complaints?” Minseok says as he looks around, Chen looks up from his notebook and only smiles.

“He was such a sweetheart to work with, and he’s really kind. Although, he kept talking about collabing with you almost every time we were making all the samples, so I had to say yes so he would stop yammering about you,” Jongdae whines cutely, even reenacting Chanyeol trying to suggest Minseok as a new collab partner. Minseok laughs since the imitation was spot-on, almost wiping a tear, while Jongdae laughs with him.

“I-I shouldn’t have said that! Loey is your friend, right? I’m so sorry!” Jongdae laughs, bowing slightly. Minseok only waves his hand, dismissing his apology.

“No, no it’s fine Chen, he wouldn’t mind us talking about him anyway,” Minseok huffs out, before moving closer to him, shifting from his chair to the sofa where Chen is sitting. Chen looks at him before cutely pouting, putting down his notebook and pen to look at Minseok more. They only stare at each other for quite a few seconds before Chen makes his move.

“Well, aren’t we quite close,” Minseok says, a bit flustered when Jongdae smirks at him while caressing his hand with a finger. Minseok looks down, confused, before staring into Chen’s eyes. Chen only looks at him with an innocent face, which is ironic to the flirty touches he was making.

“I guess we are,” Chen replies with a smirk, caressing his hand again. Chen continues to caress him, a flirty aura radiating from his adorable form as he tries to shift closer to him. Minseok, almost red all over, moves his hand away, and he doesn’t catch the slightly hurt look on Chen’s face. Chen pouts again, and looks away from Minseok. Minseok gulps and sighs nervously, feeling like he fucked up.

“So, uhm… Wanna go out for drinks later after this? We might be here for a long while,” Minseok says, a bit shaky with his words, but he sighs in relief when he sees Chen’s eyes twinkle as he nods. They don’t notice a certain Byun watching them from the door of the recording studio with a smile on his face.

“Chennie! It’s time to record!” Baekhyun hollers, giving a tiny scare to the singers. Chen nods and stands up, leaving a lingering touch to Minseok’s cheek. He looks back at Minseok with a wink before going inside, Baekhyun closes the door and gets a bass guitar, slinging it over his shoulder and making a few practice strums. Minseok stands up from his seat to watch them up close, since it was so fulfilling as a fan to see Baekhyun work his magic to the microphone. When Baekhyun starts his intro, Chen waits for his timing, placing a hand on the left side of the headphones he wore before singing.

It isn’t a ballad, which seems new for the singer to sing, but listening to his voice in a different harmony feels pleasant to Minseoks’s ears. Baekhyun follows Chen’s voice with his own, their melodies mixing into a wonderful symphony making the recording studio fill with beautiful voices. Minseok smiles at the two of them, feeling happy about all of what he had seen and heard.

Although, Minseok is still bugged with what had happened a few moments ago before Baekhyun stopped their antics. What would have happened to them if he didn’t stop Chen? Minseok is still confused, Chen, or Jongdae since he finally remembered. How come Jongdae hasn’t told him about anything at all about their relationship? Is he planning to tell him all about it in private or will he just keep pretending until Minseok asks him? It just gave him the wrong signals, making him act differently, maybe even colder than how he usually is.

“Hey Min, wanna jam with us? Chennie is getting bored so why not join us for a few songs?” Baekhyun asks him over the intercom. Minseok looks at them then shows a thumbs up, asking the recorder to just keep recording all of it. The recorder nods in agreement, then Minseok goes inside the recording room. Minseok waves at the two, who seem to be bickering over some of the sheet music. Jongdae pouts at Baekhyun, and Baekhyun merely shakes his head no.

“Minnie! Tell Daedae that changing the lyrics of  _ “Pain is just a wonder to behold”  _ isn’t a good idea!” Baekhyun whines out, Minseok only looks at him with another confused glance, unknowing to what the argument was about. Baekhyun only huffs and strums the guitar, then sings the verse.

“It doesn’t sound that bad Baek!” Jongdae says in return, crossing his arms and pouting adorably again. Minseok takes a look at the sheet lyrics and reads the title.

” _ Been Through _ ,” he says to himself, the very same song that Jongdae had written and composed during those lazy moments with him back in college. It had been the song that Jongdae sung for his final requirement, where it was a public performance and Minseok was the one who was playing a guitar to accompany his voice.

Jongdae had promised that when he became famous he would immediately put this song in his album, but Minseok immediately disagreed.

_ “But Minseok, I want to show them how much I love you!” A younger version of Jongdae pops in Minseok’s head, a pouting one at that. In his imagination, or a memory, he was in the school grounds under a tree. It was probably one of their snack dates, where they would compose while watching the sunset together. _

__

_ “No Jongdae, I don’t want the whole world to hear this song, it’s too special to us,” Minseok said as he held Jongdae’s hand while they watched the other students also at the grounds, running all over the place while throwing frisbees. Jongdae laughed softly when one of the people gets whacked on the head. Minseok caressed his boyfriend’s hand while they cuddled under the tree. _

__

_ “Come on dummy, let's get back to the dorms, it’s getting cold,” the younger man said before snuggling closer to Minseok, Minseok embraced him tightly and kissed the sides of his face before standing up, bringing Jongdae up with him. Jongdae leaned on Minseok lazily, draping all of his weight on his boyfriend. _

__

_ “Carry meeee, I’m too lazy to walk and it's so tiringggg,” Jongdae said to him, whining with his eyes closed. His eyebrows make his expressions cuter as they curl up like his lips at times. Minseok sighed in defeat, huffing a breath before piggy-backing his sleepy boyfriend. Jongdae squealed happily and curled closer to Minseok’s warm back as he walked. _

__

_ By the time they were close to the dorms, the sun had set and most students were in the dorm, either asleep or doing another project. Jongdae by that time had gotten off Minseok’s back since he had heard the older man sighing loudly due to his weight. They walked the last few meters with laced fingers. The younger skipping happily and smiling the whole way, and the older was only watching Jongdae with a soft look, loving how ethereal Jongdae was ever since they met. _

__

“Minseok? Are you ok? You have been spacing out for a while now,” Baekhyun says while snapping his fingers in front of Minseok, effectively breaking his trance. Minseok blinks his eyes quickly before looking around, he was back in the present. He sees Baekhyun’s relieved face, and Jongdae’s worried face.

“Is there a problem with the song Minseok?” Jongdae asks, quirking his head. Minseok shakes his head no, then goes to read the lyrics. Jongdae had retained some of the lyrics, only redoing the ones that had awkward phrasing or didn’t fit at all.

“Why don’t we change  _ “Pain is just a wonder to behold”  _ to  _ “Pain is just a passing storm to me”,  _ since that seems like a more plausible verse ending than the original.” Minseok suggests. Jongdae takes a look at the lyrics and sings it once. He redoes it again then smiles, Baekhyun only smirking at the youngest and mouthing the word “ _ idiot” _ to Minseok.

“Wow, guess that really is a better verse ending, thank Minnie!” Jongdae thanks him, by bowing lightly. Minseok bows back to him, a smile also forming on his face, they both decide to make some changes to the lyrics, just like how it was in the past. Baekhyun and Minseok leave the recording studio after Jongdae shoos them away, before putting on his earphones to sing the modified version of the song. The first few notes start, and the duo watch from the other side admiring him.

**_“I’ll get used to it, like catching a cold again_ **

**_The ash gray light pushes through and endlessly passes by_ **

**_But still”_ **

It feels like he’s back in the dream, back during those late nights and the memories he had repressed due to work and his career. All the moments where Jongdae would just wrap himself in Minseok’s embrace every time he got a bad score on a test, or when Jongdae needed comfort when a thunderstorm happened. All the more, he regrets not remembering almost everything from their relationship, his mind only categorizing him as a summer fling who’s name he had forgotten.

“He’s really great at that huh?” he hears Baekhyun say, loud enough for Minseok to hear.

“With what?” Minseok replies.

“With his feelings. He’s able to convey everything into all of his songs with no setbacks, it’s amazing,” Baekhyun says with a shine in his eyes, smiling at him. Minseok looks at the other man, who’s hand was resting on the glass. Jongdae sings with his whole heart, he knows that, but it feels as if the song was not for him at this point.

**_“You shine like the stars_ **

**_You light up my heart_ **

**_At the end of today’s hardships_ **

**_Brightly shine on me.”_ **

When the song ends Jongdae takes off his earphones and organizes his lyrics. Baekhyun opens the door and embraces Jongdae when he goes inside. Jongdae hugs back and closes his eyes, resting his head on Baekhyun’s shoulder. They stay in their embrace while Baekhyun whispers words that Minseok can’t decipher. Minseok’s eyes only widen, his heart shattering into a thousand pieces inside his chest when Baekhyun cups Jongdae’s cheeks and closes in for a kiss. Minseok can only look away in shock, both embarrassed and hurt, seeing his ex(?)-boyfriend kiss a singer he idolized.

_ “I’m so proud of you,” _ is what he deciphers from Baekhyun’s mouth when they separate. Jongdae smiles at the other man before kissing him again, circling his arms around Baekhyun’s neck. Minseok leaves the window, and sits back on the couch. He sighs when the couple exits the recording studio hand-in-hand. Minseok only smiles at them and stands up, then shakes Jongdae’s hand.

“That was amazing Chen,” Minseok says when he pulls away. Jongdae only shakes his head.

“Please just call me Jongdae, Chen is so formal, and I want us to be friends,” Jongdae says to him, and Minseok smiles sadly in return.

_ Friends, _ feels weird to hear it from him. It’s as if all of those memories never happened at all.

“Ah, sure Che—I mean Jongdae,” Minseok says while laughing lightly, the couple laughing at his tiny mistake too. “Anyway, I have to leave, it’s getting dark and I have to get back to work while there’s still people in the café.” Jongdae’s eyebrows perk then he grips Minseok’s wrist. The older man just looks at Jongdae. He had looked so sad when Minseok said he was leaving.

“But you promised we’ll get drinks after this,” he whines out, his body almost stuck to Baekhyun’s arm. Baekhyun only wraps his arm around Jongdae’s waist while the younger man talks. Minseok smiles and bows, trying to hide his real emotions.

“Come on Minseok, it’s gonna be fun! Jongdae’s such a loud mouth when he gets tipsy,” Baekhyun says as he taps a finger against the tip of Jongdae’s nose. The latter only scrunches it cutely after.

“No, no, you two should go on without me, next time maybe?” Minseok offers, already near the exit. The couple seem disappointed but they eventually nod, Jongdae appearing to look sadder when Minseok says goodbye. When Minseok closes the door to the recording studio, he bolts for the elevator and goes back home.

**_“The light of the brilliant moon_ **

**_Dances its last dance_ **

**_Like riding atop a swing_ **

**_Even as it drifts away from you.”_ **

__

“Minseok you’re back! How was the recor---” Junmyeon stops talking when he sees the sad look on Minseok’s face as he steps into the closed café. The couple had been finishing up on cleaning when Minseok arrived. Junmyeon was happy to see him, but immediately reels back when he sees the other man. He gives Jongin a look and the younger man nods, a silent agreement between the two of them.

Junmyeon takes Minseok’s things and brings him upstairs, using the spare key that Minseok gave him to open the door. Tan following behind them with her tiny steps rests her head on Minseok’s lap when Junmyeon sits him down on the sofa.

“Please Junmyeon, this isn’t necessary,” Minseok says, already tired. Junmyeon ignores the man and goes to his kitchen, preparing a kettle of tea, reserved for moments specifically like this. He takes the tea leaves, then puts them inside the kettle before adding some water and letting it boil in the stove.

“Please the moment that happens, you’d probably be married,” Junmyeon jokes, before going to Minseok’s room to get some blankets and comfortable pillows. He throws them at Minseok, who catches them with ease. Minseok sighs and moves the sofa, converting it to a bed. He lies down and sighs in relief, finally a bit of peace in his currently chaotic life. Jongin comes inside the room then, a plastic container full of sweets and chips that were left over from today and sets in on the table. Junmyeon goes back to the kitchen only to get a tray to serve the kettle with some cups and brings it over to them. He pours a drink for Minseok and hands it to him, Minseok nods gratefully and takes a sip.

“Tell us what happened earlier. You seemed really down when you got here,” Junmyeon says, picking up a cookie and nibbling on it. Minseok only looks at him while he takes another sip and sighs.

“I saw Jongdae,” Minseok admits. Junmyeon stares at him in confusion.

“Who’s Jongdae?” Jongin asks for his boyfriend.

“Jongdae is my ex-boyfriend from college.”

“You mean that summer fling you told us about?”

“I think we were serious, really serious,” Minseok says before hiding back in the blankets.

“Well... how was the reunion?”

“He’s with Baekhyun now.”

“Wait, seriously!?” Junmyeon exclaims, mouth hanging open.

“Well, Chanyeol is gonna be so down about this news,” Jongin says before hugging the elder man. “Minseok, it’s gonna be alright. You guys didn’t break up on bad terms, right?” Jongin asks, getting the empty cup from Minseok’s hands and placing it down on a table. Junmyeon also hugs the eldest and cuddles him close.

“I honestly don't know. It’s weird that I can’t remember if we were that serious.”

“Maybe because it’s been 5 years since you graduated from college and you’re 30 now?” Minseok looks at Junmyeon and just nods, yawning and leaning against the sofa.

“Let’s talk about this later. I’m getting tired.” Minseok yawns again and the couple stand up to tuck him into the sofa bed. Before they leave, they hear Minseok whisper, “Thanks for all of this you two,” before drifting off. The duo closes the door and go downstairs.

“You think he’s gonna be okay?” Junmyeon asks his lover as they walk out of the closed café. Jongin only pats his hand and kisses his forehead, Junmyeon nuzzles his head to his lips and smiles.

“I think he will, this is Minseok we are talking about,” the other replies, locking the café’s main door after them before taking Junmyeon’s hand. “He’s gonna be fine, Junnie.”

  
  



	4. 4

”Okay! So, we finally finished half of the songs! See you guys again next week!” the recorder announces before turning off the microphones and the instruments. Jongdae, Baekhyun and Minseok clap happily from inside the studio. Baekhyun goes to Jongdae’s side and kisses his face over and over while the other just laughs and tries to kiss him back. Minseok only laughs at the couple and silently packs away his guitar. As he starts walking, he’s stopped by the wrist.

“Minseok come on, have a drink with us,” Baekhyun whines while still holding onto his wrist. Jongdae gets his and Baekhyun’s things before joining them.

“Minnie please, just this once at least.” Jongdae grips his wrist too, pouting at him. Minseok can’t resist his deadly pout and sighs, finally relenting to their request with a small nod and the couple beam at him.

“Come on, you can leave your things in my room, we are gonna go clubbing!” Baekhyun says and happily skips to the exit. Minseok’s eyes only widen when the two of them drag him to Baekhyun’s room in the building, they bring him to the elevator and Baekhyun presses the button to the 8 th floor. As the elevator goes up they only snicker at how confused Minseok looks.

“Don’t worry about the cubbing thing, the club we are going to is just all celebrities so it’s gonna be okay,” Jongdae whispers, patting his arm and exiting out of the elevator when it arrives at their destination. Baekhyun whistles as he walks to his door and unlocks it with his keys. Jongdae puts down their bags in Baekhyun’s room, Baekhyun follows him. Minseok sets down his belongings in the living room, leaving his guitar resting against the cabinet’s side.

“So, are you ready to go?” Baekhyun asks when he leaves his room with Jongdae trailing behind him. Minseok nods and follows them from behind, watching the couple walk together. They seem more reserved outdoors, due to the fear of being seen in public together, he guesses, or even worse, their relationship as lovers exploited by the idiotic media. Minseok rolls his eyes as he thinks about it. It feels odd that Baekhyun and Jongdae had to hide all of this from the world, only being themselves with their close friends and trusted staff in the building. He counts himself lucky to have seen the real Jongdae beforehand, he was happy and carefree and he didn’t let anyone’s opinion let him down now matter what the consequences were. 

When they finally arrive at the club, Minseok takes a look around; it‘s discrete and there are a lot of expensive cars parked around the building, surrounded by burly and muscular security guards. Baekhyun goes to the bouncer by the entrance and shows his ID to the guard, then points to Jongdae then to Minseok. The man nods and opens the door, motioning them to go inside. Minseok follows suit and immediately he’s bombarded by the loud sound of the music that was playing. He huddles up with the two of them as they walk, meeting with a bunch of celebrities either dancing, lounging or just drinking all of their frustrations away at the bar.

“This is club Exodus! This is basically a club founded by an old artist, and they only cater to celebrities. Minseok count yourself lucky, you’re a celebrity now!” Baekhyun says slapping his back playfully before pulling Jongdae to the dancefloor. The other man laughs as he follows along and dances with his boyfriend. Minseok decides to go and explore the club for a while before going to the bar to get a drink or two.

He looks around and sees some artists that he’s familiar with due to his television addiction that he watches during his free time. The same artists who are now just chilling on soft cushions, and drinking cocktails that seem expensive. The music turns into a more relaxing one, some of the dancers going back to their groups while the others remain on the dancefloor. He makes a turn but immediately reels back, seeing a couple of people making out by the bathroom. Who knows what they are doing inside the actual bathroom.

Shaking his head, he goes to the bar and sits on one of the vacant stools. He sighs and watches the people who are partying happily. In seconds, the couple enters his line of vision, jumping and dancing weirdly to the music. 

“Any drinks I can give you tonight?” One of the bartenders approaches him. Minseok, now broken from his trance, looks at the selections in the menu and bites his lips, thinking.

“Just a screwdriver for now, add 2 more shots though,” Minseok says while he whips out his phone and sends out a quick text to Jumyeon, saying that he will come home later than usual.

**_Bunnymyeon: Ok fine, just stay safe ok? Don’t want you suddenly popping out in the morning news…_ **

****

**_Minseokkie: Jeez, when that happens I would have a fuck buddy._ **

****

Minseok laughs, his friend always assuming the worst of all things. He pockets his phone in his jeans. After a few minutes, his drink arrives and he immediately downs the entire contents, the burn of the liquid immediately stinging down his throat. He groans and brings down the empty glass to the counter. The bartender looks at him, surprised.

“Rough time?” the man asks while he makes another screwdriver for him.

“Guess you can say that,” Minseok shrugs, looking back to the couple, now gone from his view. They’re probably still on the dancefloor together. He scoffs.

“Designated driver?” the bartender asks again, refilling Minseok’s glass with the drink.

“Nah, just came here with the couple I’m third-wheeling.”

“Oh, is that them?” the bartender says, pointing to the dancefloor. Minseok’s eyes widen when he sees the two, hands entangled with each other as they dance to the music, the bass pounding loud. Baekhyun pulls Jongdae closer by the waist, and kisses down to his neck, seemingly sucking that part. The other closes his eyes and tangles a hand in Baekhyun’s hair.

“I know it’s only been two hours but jeez, guess they’ve been  _ that _ pent up, huh?” the man comments before mixing another drink. Minseok just sighs and drinks again, finishing another shot without batting an eyelash . As time passes by, he sees the two of them buying their own drinks from another bar. He sees them slowly getting tipsy to full blown drunk. When 11PM came, Minseok wonders if they’re still in a state where they can get home with nothing to regret in the morning. He even thinks if he can still get home, after seven glasses, soon to be eight when he finishes the one in his hand. With a deep breath he stands up from the stool and approaches them.

“Good luck,” he hears the bartender say before he walks closer to the couple, who are now full of bitemarks, their lips swollen red and slicked with spit. Jongdae immediately lunges at Minseok, gripping his arm tightly and cutely hiding from his boyfriend, obviously too drunk to function now.

“Minseokkkkkk, I wanna go homeeeee. Baekkie keeps munching on me and calling me tasty,” Jongdae whines, attempting to hide behind him. Baekhyun, who is also too drunk to function properly, only laughs and tries to pinch his boyfriend’s cheek. One again, Minseok finds himself in the middle of something like this, huh?

“Come on, let’s get you two home.” Minseok takes both of their arms and drags them outside. The two glue themselves by his side, similar to how his cat is to him on the days he has off from working at the café. They walk back to Baekhyun’s apartment together, Minseok sending another text to Junmyeon saying that he might just sleep at Baekhyun’s apartment since the other keeps insisting over and over as they walk. When they arrive at Baekhyun’s place, they first bring Baekhyun to his room, the man trying to pull Jongdae with him, but the other man refuses cutely, saying that he will sleep in one of the spare rooms. Baekhyun pouts and kisses him, bidding a sleepy goodnight, before closing the door to his bedroom.

The moment Baekhyun closes the door, Jongdae leans into Minseok’s chest, sounding similar to a cat purring at the warmth of his chest. He only brings the man to the spare room, which is very clean and kept neat, kudos to Baekhyun for this. He lies Jongdae down the bed, but the man pulls him down.

“Minnieee, you’re finally back home, was class hard for you today?” Jongdae asks softly, cuddling into Minseok’s arm. Minseok’s eyes open wide as he stares at Jongdae in shock. So everything was true, all of those dreams and memories... nothing was a pure coincidence. Minseok ruffled Jongdae’s hair with his other hand slowly, exactly the way he usually does it in his dreams. Jongdae smiles sleepily and curls up to his arm.

“You have pretty tattoos now, but you are still so pretty Minnie,” Jongdae says, caressing the tattoos on his arms. His fingers linger on the camellias, whose flowers are complemented with carnations.

“Camellias, my favorites,” Jongdae whispers to himself, inaudible to the other man. Minseok looks at him in fondness, drunk Jongdae is so clingy. He covers him with the blanket, and caresses his hair. Jongdae smiles at his touch, moving closer to the hand. Though, before anything else happens, the older man pulls his hand away and goes to the door.

“Don’t forget, okay? March 21st, by the beach,” Jongdae slurs softly, slowly drifting off. Minseok looks at the now sleeping man in confusion, March 21st? What was that? He looks at Jongdae and sighs, reminding himself to ask questions about it when Jongdae is finally sober and normal, not that he was normal in the first place. He closes the door silently and heads for the sofa, in which he falls asleep on not long after. 

_ The moonlight seeped through the dorm room, and the rustling of the sheets was frequent. Two bodies curling next to each other, talking softly to themselves, their breaths fast but calming down slowly. Jongdae sighed in content as he felt Minseok kiss his shoulder, aftercare as he should say. He smiled and leaned into the touch, holding Minseok’s hand as the man crept up to his chest. He pulled the hand up and saw a tattoo on his wrist, vines that were entwined like a bracelet with a pretty sunflower. He laughed softly, kissing the sunflower, then his knuckles full of bite marks from their activities earlier. _

__

_ “What’s so funny babe?” Minseok asked, now kissing his neck. Jongdae turned over and caressed his chest. _

__

_ “You have a sunflower bracelet, it’s beautiful,” he whispered, moving to embrace him. Minseok relaxed in Jongdae’s arm, kissing his boyfriend’s puckered lips, over and over. When they pulled away, they leaned their foreheads against each other, closing their eyes and basking in the afterglow. _

_ “I chose the Sunflower since it reminded me of you,” Minseok said, cupping Jongdae’s face with the tattooed arm. “Happy, beautiful and loyal, that’s you. You’re beautiful and I love you so much,” he added. Jongdae laughed again and kissed his forehead. _

__

_ “Happy anniversary, Min,” he said, kissing his lover one last time before pulling him closer to his body as their kiss turned heated. _

__

“Minseok? Minseok? Minnie, wake up,” Jongdae’s voice seeps through his dream. Minseok groggily opens his eyes, Jongdae’s eyes meeting his. He sighs and covers his eyes, still not comfortable with the sunlight. He groans and slowly sits up, yawning and stretching his arms before he scratches his head.

“Good morning Min, how do you like your eggs?” Jongdae asks, walking towards the kitchen. Minseok watches him put on an apron cutely, huffing as he takes his time to lace the strings around his slim waist. He then goes to the refrigerator and takes out a carton of eggs.

“The coffee machine has some coffee left over from earlier. By the way, Baekhyun left early for his schedule but I have a day off,” Jongdae says as he takes out a pan to cook their breakfast. Minseok gets some coffee from the machine and takes a sip, grimacing at the taste. 

“Can I use the pantry?” Minseok asks while looking for some cups to brew coffee. Jongdae nods and points to the pantry shelf. Minseok goes and gets some cream, milk, sugar and some cinnamon. As they work in tandem, Jongdae cooks the eggs and Minseok brews another batch of coffee, Minseok suddenly remembers another memory.

_ “Just two sugars and three shots of cream right, baby?” Minseok asked as he poured coffee into two mugs. Jongdae hummed in reply while he waited for their pancakes to turn golden brown. They were in Jongdae’s rented apartment today. They had decided that Minseok would be tasked to sleep over at Jongdae’s place during the long weekends since Jongdae craved the attention and cuddles from his boyfriend. _

__

_ They set the table while they waited for the last batch to finish cooking. Jongdae settled down in his seat first, after finishing the last batch and placing it on the plate. Minseok followed suit, the two mugs of coffee in his hands. _

__

_ “Thanks Minnie.” Jongdae smiled when Minseok handed his coffee, accompanied with a kiss on his forehead. _

Minseok adds the cream and sugar to one mug and little amounts to the other. He mixes them thoroughly and adds the milk foam he made. Then, he proceeds to sprinkle the foam with cinnamon before bringing them to the table. Jongdae is waiting for him, already sitting in his designated seat.

“Here’s yours,” Minseok says, handing Jongdae his mug. Their hands meet and Jongdae smiles in reply, taking the cup and sipping the hot beverage. Minseok watches as Jongdae’s eyes go wide, almost teary-eyed.

“So…you remembered even after five years?” Jongdae asks, putting down the cup and looking at him.

Minseok looks at him, then at the coffee mug.

“I guess, I don’t know...” Minseok sighs in reply, staring at the cup in his hands. Jongdae nods, and takes another sip. They eat in silence, no conversations, nothing.

Minseok helps Jongdae wash the dishes and leaves with a little thank you. The other only smiles and helps him navigate his way through the building. When he sees Minseok leave by using a taxi, Jongdae’s phone rings.

**_Baekkie: So, how was Mr. 5 years?_ **

****

**_Daeby: He’s better now, I’m glad._ **

****

**_Baekkie: Are you though?_ **

****

**_Daeby:….No…._ **

_ “He’s gonna be okay, right? Right?” Jongdae asked as he waited in a corridor, an old man checking his watch and sighing. _

__

_ “We won’t know until it ends, young man. Just pray that all of it goes smoothly, okay?” the man said before leaving to check on the other rooms. Jongdae sat down on a bench, holding his phone that had been ringing since the morning.  _

  
  



	5. 5

“Minseok, are you okay? You seem under the weather again,” Junmyeon points out to Minseok, who’s rubbing his head. The incident with Jongdae two weeks ago made him confused and his head continued to hurt. Each night, he keeps having dreams and flashes of memories from the past. A past he couldn’t remember, memories of how Jongdae would smile at every joke no matter how bad, or how concentrated he was when he studied for their tests.

Every time another memory comes back the more he becomes mad, bewildered, and saddened. He doesn’t know why he can’t remember how they broke up or why he can’t seem to point out anything about March 21st. He just sighs and leans on the kitchen counter, gripping the edge lightly, feeling lightheaded.

“Just haven’t been sleeping properly, I guess. I’ll be fine. We’re closing in a few minutes, anyway,” Minseok replies, taking the mug filled with another brew he finished a few moments ago, and bringing it to the customer. Junmyeon only follows his friend, trusting him.

As the customers leave one by one until the cafe empties, Junmyeon stretches, halfway finished with the clean up in the kitchen. After Minseok finishes his own clean up, he goes to the kitchen to help the younger man. As they cleaned in tandem, another memory flashes through his mind.

“Jongdae! I’m mopping, come on, just a few more minutes,” Minseok shrieked out, shivering at the cold fingers that crept up inside his shirt by his sleepy boyfriend, whose hair was all messy and currently clinging to him at 6 A.M. Minseok turned around and kissed the taller junior before pulling him to the sofa.

“Just rest for a while, breakfast will be ready soon, okay?” he whispered, leaving a peck on Jongdae’s lips, who was already asleep the moment his body hit the sofa.

“Minseok, come on, let’s eat some blueberries and talk, you really seem tired,” Junmyeon says, with a big bowl of blueberries in his hand. He follows Junmyeon and sits down, quickly eating a few berries, feeling suddenly stressed.

“I think Jongdae is hiding something from me. I know now since he said something two weeks back,” Minseok says while he chews on a blueberry. Junmyeon looks at him, curious about what he had to say. It was one of those slow days in the café today and Jongin was out since he had a rehearsal. They were already closing but they decided to just sit down and just talk for awhile.

“Wasn’t that the time you went clubbing with the couple?” Junmyeon asks, taking a blueberry and popping it in his mouth. Minseok sighs and rubs his temple. Damn, the headaches are really pissing him off. He takes a few more blueberries and eats them, swallowing them after just a few chews.

“Jongdae still remembers me, but I can’t remember him, it’s odd.”

“Maybe because he has a better memory than you, probably?”

“Maybe, but he said something about March 21st.” Junmyeon freezes at the mention of the date, looking at him with widened eyes. Minseok stares at him, confused about what is actually going on.

“The date is familiar... I think it’s the time Jongin confessed to me?” Junmyeon says, thinking hard. Minseok only nods. Junmyeon is the type to remember unnecessary details. Junmyeon takes the empty bowl of fruit and brings it to the sink in the brewing area. Minseok just groans and rubs his head again.

“It’s weird that I don’t remember anything at all and it’s horrible. I feel like I should know more.” Minseok sighs and opens his lyric notebook, then writes down a few words for another song. Junmyeon just watches him sadly, his friend is in distress and he couldn’t do anything about it.

“Minseok... I-“ Junmyeon starts but he’s cut off with the sound of the door opening. Jongdae is there by the café door, with a paper bag in his hands. Junmyeon quickly dismisses himself back to the kitchen, leaving the two of them alone. Minseok glances at the singer before going over to him.

“H-Hi, wanna have a drink with me?” Jongdae asks, giving him the paper bag. Minseok nudges him to a seat and takes a few cups they could use to drink from. Minseok waves goodbye to Junmyeon, who only mouths good luck to him, waving to Jongdae before leaving the two of them alone.

Jongdae sits by the window, waiting patiently with the alcohol on the table. Minseok returns with two mugs, he then proceeds to open one of the bottles and pours out some of the beer for the two of them. He takes a sip while looking at the other man, who’s also drinking.

“What brings you here?” Minseok asks, gently setting his cup down onto the table..

“I want to say sorry to you since we left with bad terms,” Jongdae replies, taking another sip.

“Don’t worry about it, it’s fine.”

“R-Really?” Jongdae says, looking up cutely at him. The other man only smiles and nods. Jongdae sighs happily and leans in his seat, taking another sip of beer.

They continue drinking in silence, alternating the times they would refill each other’s mugs.

“So, when is the album gonna be released?” Minseok asks after a while.

“Well, if our schedule goes smoothly I’d say in two months, and since it’s also another Baekhyun album I guess it’ll be released quicker.” Minseok nods while Jongdae speaks, thinking that the album would really give his music a nice limelight since he worked with both Jongdae and Baekhyun in one album.

“Oh, by the way, the CEO said that our trio is really good and he’s asking you to join our company,” Jongdae adds.

“What are we even gonna be called? XiuChenBaek or something?”

“Well I thought ChenBaekXi, but hey that also works!” Jongdae chuckles softly. Minseok laughs at how adorable Jongdae is, now feeling less tense and more relaxed with him. 

As the night went on, Jongdae even helped with closing the café before they continued with their drinks, accompanied by a bit of food too. As they drink bottle after bottle, they slowly become tipsy, then drunk. Jongdae was once again the laughing cuddly mess that Minseok saw at the club. Even though Minseok wasn’t drunk yet, he was still kind of tipsy. He only stifles a laugh when he feels Jongdae cuddling up to his side.

“So, what’s that ring necklace from. Did Baek give it to you?” he asks when he sees a gold ring twinkle against the light of the moon. The ring is beautiful, it might be perfect for Jongdae’s hands. Jongdae looks at him, smiling sadly, and fiddles with the ring between his fingers.

“It’s from my ex. He gave this as a promise to me,” he says softly, smiling as he glanced down at the ring.

“What happened?”

“He… got into an accident. He was going for an errand but… he never came back home. My brother said this was supposed to be our engagement ring,” he whispers, before letting go of the ring, back to dangling around his neck.

“I-I’m sorry to hear that.”

“No, it’s fine. It’s been a long time, anyway. Baekhyun was fine with me keeping the ring on me, since I still love him so much.”

Minseok feels sad for the other man, but he also feels happy for him that he found Baekhyun as a new lover. Jongdae must have gone through so much pain over the course of that time he lost his previous lover.

“What do you mean you only had to train for less than a year?” Minseok asks the singer, who’s holding a beer bottle, now only half full. Jongdae takes another large sip of his beverage then wipes his mouth. Minseok stares at the other’s wet lips as a tongue comes out to swipe over them.

“Well, Baek and I are actually rookies. We trained at the same time and also debuted at the same time. At the time we were nervous since we thought only one of us would get in. Luckily both of us got accepted, but as part of the company officially now. We were supposed to debut as a duo, but then the CEO decided to make us both debut as part of a group. The group didn’t do that well though, so we disbanded. Baekhyun had that amazing idea that we should just re-debut as a duo like the original plan. So when we pitched that idea, the CEO finally agreed, so BaekChen was born.”

“Wow, didn’t know that you were that talented,” Minseok says, looking down at Jongdae, who’s still drinking. He bites his lips as he watches the younger man drink his beer. Jongdae looks up at him with a smile. Minseok swallows, admiring the man’s sparkling eyes and plump curly lips.

Jongdae bites his lips playfully before moving up and kissing him, closing his eyes when their lips meet. Minseok kisses back, pulling him in and quickly placing the other onto his lap. This feels so wrong, Jongdae is in a relationship, but how come he can’t stop kissing him. Jongdae groans and pulls away, latching his lips to Minseok’s neck. The older man closes his eyes and pulls the other’s hair, who’s now leaving marks all over his neck. Minseok huffs and carries Jongdae to his apartment upstairs.

Jongdae giggles and clings to Minseok as he goes upstairs. The moment Minseok closes the main doors of his apartment, Jongdae smiles and gets down on his knees, nudging at the slow hard-on growing in Minseok’s pants.

“Wait, wait, no,” Minseok says, pulling Jongdae up. Jongdae glances at him, confused.

“You’re in a relationship, this is wrong. What would Baekhyun think of what you’re doing?” Minseok asks, trying to resist Jongdae who is trying to kiss him again. 

“Oh, we aren’t together, we’re just close friends, maybe fuck buddies?” Jongdae slurs out, curling up to his arm more and more, caressing his arm. Minseok looks at the drunk man and pushes him away.

“So you mess around with me? Showing me that you were taken and now you say that to me when I saw you two dance?” Minseok asks, rubbing his head. Everything he’s learning now is a mess. His head hurts again when he sees Jongdae looking so heartbroken.

“No, it’s not like that. I just wanted to be with you again,” Jongdae says, moving closer to him once more.  It must be the alcohol,  Minseok thinks. The alcohol must be making Jongdae think he was probably one of his past lovers.

“You’re drunk Jongdae, just rest for a while, then let’s talk.” Minseok suggests.

“Minseok, please, let me explain all of this,” Jongdae pleads, slowly walking to Minseok again.

“Please, just leave right now.”

“You just don’t know how much this hurts me!” Jongdae screams, a tear slowly dripping down from his left eye. “You will never know how much it hurt me to leave you there! You don’t know how much I love you until now! I waited for so long, waiting for you to remember me again!” Jongdae looks at Minseok, more tears falling down, streaming continuously. ”Did you think it was fine for me to see you in that operating table clinging to your life? And the next thing you know the man you love might be gone.” He drops to his knees and cries. 

Minseok freezes in his spot, not knowing what to do. He stands there, watching his ex-boyfriend crumble in his apartment.

“I just wanted you back home. I waited for you to come home, but when you woke up only looking at me confused and asking who I was. How was I supposed to feel?”

The emergency room was bustling. An accident they said, a typical hit and run by a car. Minseok was with his brother, Junmyeon, running an errand with him. Jongdae was auditioning for a role in a musical at the time he got the call. At the time of the accident he was memorizing a verse from a song. The moment the phone rang, he answered the call.

“Myeonnie! I’m in the audition now, wi---”

“Jongdae, listen to me. Minseok got hit by an overspeeding car.” Junmyeon’s voice quivered as he spoke every word. Jongdae stood up and immediately ran outside the building, going outside to hail a cab.

“Which hospital is he in?” Jongdae asked. He couldn’t see where he was due to the tears filling his eyes. He immediately wiped them away. He didn’t need to cry right now, Minseok needed him. By the time the cab reached the hospital, Jongdae immediately paid the fare, ignoring the driver telling him his payment was too much. He quickly ran to the emergency room, slamming his hands down onto the reception counter and startling the nurse in charge.

“Excuse me, but did a Kim Minseok arrive here?!” he asked frantically, out of breath from his running. The nurse looked at him, then typed quickly when she heard the name.

“Uh sir, a Kim Minseok is in the emergency room right now. It was Kim Junmyeon who called the accident, he’s over waiting in area C, just by that corridor,” the nurse said, pointing the direction to the waiting room. Jongdae nodded and ran to the waiting room. There he saw his brother sitting down, sighing with his head hung low. Junmyeon looked up and saw Jongdae, running to his younger brother.

Jongdae immediately embraced his brother, tearing up once again and crying on his shoulder. Junmyeon hugged him back tightly, rubbing his back up and down.

“Jongdae, if anything happens to him, he wanted you to have this.” Junmyeon wiped his younger brother’s tears and pulled away, going back to his seat. Jongdae saw a blue paper bag and watched as Junmyeon pulled out a velvet box from it. Jongdae felt himself tear up again, looking at the box when it was opened, a simple gold ring with an engraving.

“This was the errand, he wanted to surprise you tonight when you got home. He said he couldn’t wait for five years to propose to you,” Junmyeon explained in a soft voice. He gently pulled the ring out and gave it to Jongdae, who shakily took it in his hands. The moment he got the ring, his knees buckled and he fell to the ground, crying. Junmyeon embraced him again, just as tight.

“What will I do if he- he-” Jongdae stuttered, crying more.

“He’s gonna be fine, I promise you,” Junmyeon whispered.

“Excuse me, Kim Junmyeon? Is that Kim Jongdae?” a doctor asked as he approached them.

Junmyeon helped Jongdae up, wiping his tears and giving him another pat in the back.

“He’s gonna be fine Dae, just be strong for him.”

“I’m gonna go, I’m sorry I wasted your time,” Jongdae says, wiping his tears away before leaving the apartment. Minseok stands frozen, confused. He wanted to follow him, but his feet were planted to the floor. He only looks at the empty spot that Jongdae was, and little did he know, he was crying.

After he closes the door, he only crumbles, with his head hurting and more tears. He takes his phone out and immediately dials a familiar number.

“Myeon? Are you awake? I know you just left, but can you please come? I need you right now.”

  
  
  
  



	6. 6

Jongdae keeps running and running and running, until he’s far away. His tears drip down from his eyes until he realizes that he’s lost. He wipes his tears and tries to look for his phone, the alcohol and all that had happened making him feel dizzy. 

_ “Hello Jongdae? Why the sudden call?”  _ Baekhyun’s voice greets over the line.

“Baek? Pick me up…please,” Jongdae whispers, before telling Baekhyun his location. 

_ “Okay, I’ll be there in a few minutes. Don’t worry, baby, stay right there,”  _ Baekhyun replies then the call gets cut off. Jongdae only waits, leaning by a wall. After a few minutes Baekhyun’s car parks in front of him before his friend comes out, running to him and embracing him tightly. Jongdae leans into Baekhyun’s embrace, crying on his shoulder. 

“Baek, it still hurts. I miss him so much and he doesn’t even know it,” he cries out, gripping Baekhyun’s pajamas. Baekhyun only stands still for his friend, letting him cry on his shoulder. He wishes that he won’t feel this way again. 

“Come on, let’s get you home, okay, sweetie?” he whispers, taking Jongdae to the car to drive him back to his apartment. Jongdae only follows him, sniffling as he goes inside the car. Baekhyun bites his lip, worried for him although they had already talked about this a while back.

_ “Baekhyun, please I just want to talk to him again, maybe he already remembers me.” He still remembered his own voice, pleading and devastated. They had made a pact a long time ago that they would pretend to be lovers the whole time the collaboration was happening. As much as Jongdae was hurt, he knew he had to watch from afar for a while before making a move. If it wasn’t for those few times that they were interacting and those little moments they were together.  _

_ Those little moments had hurt him, hurt him so bad and now he wanted to tell him the truth. He was in so much pain that Minseok was so close, yet they were so far apart. He was lucky that Junmyeon was giving him so many updates about Minseok’s progress, the perks of having an older brother with a business degree. Junmyeon gives him a text or two while he works, telling that Minseok was still okay.  _

_ “Thank you for telling me all of this, Myeonnie. I’ll call back soon,” he said, smiling when he heard his older brother laughing a little. _

_ “Don’t worry sweetie, it’s going to be okay. He’s getting better now. Talk to you later!”  _ **** _ Junmyeon gave his last reply before cutting the call. Jongdae sighed happily and leaned into Baekhyun’s embrace.  _

_ “Someone’s happy,” Baekhyun hummed, kissing his nape. Jongdae laughed and slapped his arm playfully. He was so lucky that his friend was there the whole time.  _

_ “Well, he’s finally fine now.” _

_ “Jongdae, it’s been 5 years, of course he’s going to be fine.” _

Minseok on the other hand was confused, enraged and most importantly heartbroken for unknown reasons. He immediately calls Junmyeon, who thankfully still comes, only to force Minseok to get up and sit down on his bed. Although Junmyeon is the younger one in their friendship, he immediately takes on the mother role in their dynamics. Junmyeon got to work quickly, getting all of the medicines he needed as well as supplements, since he thinks it’s going to be a really long night of talking.

“Junmyeon my head really hurts,” Minseok groans out, clutching his head with one hand while gripping his pillow with the other. Tan goes to his side, purring and lying on her owner’s lap, consoling him.

“I know, I’m really sorry for hiding all of this from you,” Junmyeon says, taking a chair and sitting in front of Minseok.

“So, you’re Jongdae’s older brother?” Minseok asks, lying down this time still clutching his head. Junmyeon nods slowly, feeling guilty after hiding crucial information for five years.

“Jongdae wanted you to live with no burden, feeling guilty that you don’t remember anything about your relationship at all. He decided that it was best for you, and followed another path, singing.” 

“And he asked you to keep tabs on me?” 

“Well… you can say that.”

_ “Junmyeon please, just take care of him. He doesn’t need me in his life,” Jongdae pleaded. They were in Jongdae and Minseok’s shared apartment, which was now Minseok’s. Junmyeon had been asking for Jongdae not to leave Minseok. _

_ “Jongdae! Do you not realize how much this will hurt him?!” _

_ “It won’t hurt if he doesn’t remember Junmyeon!” _

_ “Goddammit Jongdae, listen to me! Stay with him, please he needs you the most in those moments right here.” _

_ “Jun… I’m sorry, but take care of him. He needs you more,” Jongdae said before leaving.  _

“I tried my best to make him stay for you, but he is stubborn as hell.” 

“I understand, thank you Junmyeon, for clearing everything up,” Minseok says, before hugging Junmyeon tightly. 

“I should have never left you two to drink, now I think Baekhyun is gonna come here. I just know it.” Minseok only nods tiredly, unknowing it will actually happen. 

“WHERE IS KIM MINSEOK!!!” An angry Baekhyun screams out. It spooks Jongin who’s cleaning up the counter. Baekhyun slams open the café’s door, not caring if the sign says closed. The young man looks pissed and about to bite off someone’s head. Jongin goes inside the kitchen where the others were. 

“Minnie, someone is about to bite your head off,” Jongin says, moving to Junmyeon’s side. Minseok takes a deep breath and exits the kitchen, then was face-to-face with Baekhyun. 

“We need to talk. NOW!” 

“Come on, take a seat,” Minseok says, nudging Baekhyun to a seat, a bit private so there’s no fuss from the public eye.

“You are lucky there weren’t any tabloids that followed Jongdae here, or the company would have a scandal in their hands right now,” Baekhyun sighs, sitting down and crossing his arms. 

“Yeah, I’d think so too. So, Baekhyun, what are we here to talk about?”

“My friend hasn’t left the apartment for two weeks now, because of what you did.” 

“I know, his brother told me. I wanted to visit him and just talk again,” Minseok says. 

“Let’s go then, I am so worried for him, please,” Baekhyun says, standing up and pulling Minseok up to his feet before bringing them to his car.

“I have been with him ever since we were in diapers, so seeing him this way with an ex? Should I call you an ex?” Baekhyun says while he switches the ignition on. Minseok shrugs his shoulders, not knowing what to say either. 

“I guess you two are still together, if technically you never officially broke up,” Baekhyun replies as he starts to drive. Minseok sighs and looks out the window. At least they were going to Jongdae and not the other way around. He swallows and tries to think of questions to ask to Baekhyun, but couldn’t think of any, sadly. 

When Baekhyun parks his car, turning off the engine, Minseok takes another breath and gets exits the car. He follows Baekhyun inside the apartment complex and goes in the elevator, Baekhyun pressing one of the buttons. Minseok stands in silence, not wanting to talk to the older man at the moment. 

“Don’t mess this up for him, he still really loves you okay?” Baekhyun says, then goes outside the elevator. Minseok follows suit until they arrived in front of a door. 

“321. This is Jongdae’s?” Minseok asks softly. 

“Yeah. Good luck,” Baekhyun says before leaving him in front of Jongdae’s door.

Minseok looks at the door worriedly, then knocks softly, biting his lips and taking in more deep breaths. 

Jongdae had been in a consistent routine for two weeks, waking up, taking a bath, feeding his cat Cream, making his own breakfast and sleeping. Then in the afternoon he would mope and just write down more sad and heartbreaking lyrics before sleeping again. There were eventual visits from his older brother Junmyeon, and his friend Baekhyun who would bring in food to his apartment. 

The sudden knock on his door stops him from cooking the leftover pasta from last night. His cat meowing at the door as another knock comes, Cream’s tail swishing as he sat down on the carpeted floor. Jongdae keeps the flame low before going to the door, his eyes widening when he opens it.

“Minseok?” Jongdae says with a gasp. Minseok smiles a little and looks down.

“What are you doing here?” he whispers, opening the door and letting Minseok in. Cream goes to Minseokand rubs his body over the man’s leg, obviously warming up to the older man immediately. Jongdae laughs at his cat, smiling softly as the cat missed his old owner. 

“Wow, Cream really missed you so much,” Jongdae says, taking the cat into his arms and rubbing his head. The cat purrs at his owner’s attention and just melts into Jongdae’s touch. Minseok also pets the cat’s head, and the cat purrs louder. 

“Cream was ours?” he asks, fingers grazing over Cream’s ear.

“Yeah, Tannie was supposed to be our second baby —“

“Since we didn’t want actual children at the time yet, but we want to have them someday,” Minseok says. Jongdae gives the cat to Minseok, wanting to give Cream and his owner more time together again. 

“Do you want to sit down and talk?” he asks, looking at the couch. Minseok nods and puts the cat down before following the younger man. Jongdae then excuses himself to turn off the flame to not burn the leftovers. Minseok watches the younger man do everything in his kitchen, and he feels familiarity. 

“So, how long have you been living here?” Minseok asks, startling a little as Cream jumps up on the couch to let Minseok pet his head. He gives the cat his wanted attention then looks back at Jongdae, who’s still cleaning his kitchen. When the younger man finishes cleaning, he goes back and sits down. 

“Just two years, about to be three in March.” 

“Oh… That’s great then,” Minseok replies, looking at the man. 

“Minseok I… I’m sorry,” Jongdae starts, head low as he keeps his gaze trained on Cream who’s sitting on Minseok’s lap. “I’m sorry I left you there, I was just so heartbroken that you didn’t remember me, so I just bolted out of panic. I---” Jongdae gets cut off when a hand comes up to brush away his tears. Jongdae looks up to meet Minseok’s kind eyes.

“Jongdae, it’s okay. I promise, I’m okay, at least we’re together again, right? Unless... you don’t want to.” 

Jongdae buries his head into Minseok’s chest, moving closer and just loving the warmth that was his Minseok. Minseok hugs him back and pulls him to his lap. 

“I missed you so bad,” Jongdae whispers, wrapping his arms around Minseok’s neck. 

“I missed you too, no more secrets okay?” Minseok asks, cupping Jongdae’s face. Jongdae nods happily, then closes his eyes, kissing Minseok when the other man leans in. 

Their relationship, although rocky, messed up and full of shit, they were still each other’s anchor. As the new found couple kiss slowly, reigniting the lost spark they had, the ring hanging from Jongdae’s necklace sparkles as they curl up in each other’s embrace. 

Finally, they’re together again.

  
  
  
  
  


  
  



	7. END.

**_CELEBRITY EXCLUSIVE: PHENOMENAL SINGER CHEN AND KOREA’S INDIE SINGER XIUMIN DATING?!_ **

_ SHOCKER!! CHEN, Kim Jongdae, a famous ballad singer with his debut album “Beautiful Goodbye” was seen together in Namsan Tower. They were seen talking photos of the scenery and possibly on a date? The two artists, along with Byun Baekhyun, collaborated on Baekhyun’s 2 _ _ nd _ _ album “Day Dream”, 6 months ago, which sold over 3 million copies domestically. Many fans speculate that this was the start of their relationship. Other tabloids say that they see the rumored couple hanging out in local sites nearby CHEN’s entertainment building. The two artists have been open about their sexual orientation, both identifying as bisexual. CHEN’s entertainment brand still has no response over the news, stay tuned for the updates. _

“Honestly, I don’t understand why they dwell on simple things like this. I mean, it’s only a romantic relationship. What is the point of coming out to them?” Minseok groans out, putting down his cellphone on the nightstand. Jongdae laughs and kisses his boyfriend’s bare shoulder, then continues to kiss his chest. Minseok rolls over to lie on Jongdae, who is now laughing at his lover. 

“Come on, you dummy. You’re heavy, and we have a statement to prepare for,” Jongdae whines out, while pulling Minseok down with his legs, wrapping the pair around his boyfriend’s waist. 

“Then don’t grind with me babe,” Minseok laughs out, before smothering the one below him with kisses. 

“Mmmminseok don’t-  _ Oh _ !” Jongdae moans out as the older man bites his neck, adding new ones to the collection of marks they made last night. As Minseok covers their bodies with the blanket again, wanting to continue what they started, Jongdae kisses Minseok’s chest, right where his heart is.

**_CELEBRITY EXCLUSIVE: KOREA’S IT COUPLE, KIM JONGDAE AND KIM MINSEOK ENGAGED OR POSSIBLY MARRIED?_ **

_ Today’s exclusive will be none other than Korea’s singing powerhouse, Kim Jongdae and Kim Minseok, once again covering Korea’s headlines with the possible rumors of the couple having now tied the knot. Sources say that the couple was spotted in a Cartier Boutique in Samseong, possibly buying wedding rings, before going on a hiatus for 3 years. Today, photos have surfaced in which the couple are seen in a catholic church, location unknown, wearing matching formal wear. Their friends, Byun Baekhyun, and music producer Park Chanyeol then posted on their instagrams in a seemingly identical reception area. Byun made another post with the couple who were eating a piece of cake playfully. Could they be married? Who knows? The couple have yet another interview that they will be partaking in on March 19, 2023.  _

“Is my tie crooked?” Jongdae asks, while looking in the mirror and adjusting his tie. Minseok takes a look at his husband and shrugs. 

“No, it looks fine, don’t worry about it sweetheart. You do have a stain here.” Minseok points to the corner of his lips. Jongdae looks at him confused, tilting his head. The other man laughs and pulls him for a kiss, giving his lip a lick to clean up the lip gloss stain. Jongdae moans softly, giving his husband another lick as retaliation. Minseok smirks and pulls away, making Jongdae whine, fussing a little as Minseok already got him worked up. 

“Come on, we have an interview to get to.” 

**_LIVE INTERVIEW WITH KIM JONGDAE AND KIM MINSEOK! LINK DOWN BELOW._ **

“Good morning! We are here live with Korea’s it couple, Kim Jongdae and Kim Minseok!” the young man announces, which is then followed by a stream of cheers and claps from the audience. Jongdae gives his usual sweet smile and waves to the audience and the camera. Minseok also gives a smile and a small wave, then intertwines his hand with his husband, giving it a light squeeze. 

“So! Three years of hiatus, what have you two have been up to?” the man asks them. The couple look at each other and smile, giving off a little laugh before Minseok starts to speak. 

“Well, the rumor that we got married is true, we are celebrating our 2 nd year anniversary in a few days actually.” The moment Minseok finishes the sentence, the cheers from the audience heightened, tons of fangirls screeching and crying out in joy. Others clap happily for their successful marriage. 

“And we have been preparing for another album. Chanyeol will help produce and we will write our own lyrics since I’ll be independent now,” Jongdae continues, this time gasps from the audience are heard in the studio. 

“Oh! So does this mean you are not renewing your contracts with your current company?” 

“Yes, also I wanted to spend more time with my husband since we are actually fixing adoption papers.”

“You two are planning on adopting? That’s great news!” Jongdae smiles at the host’s remark, cheeks turning red. Minseok only smiles and rubs Jongdae’s knuckle lovingly, whispering compliments and cheering his husband on. 

“Of course, we have been planning this for years, ever since we got together again.” 

“Together again? Ohhh, tell us the details.”

Jongdae and Minseok look at each other before nodding in agreement. 

“Well it’s a long story. Are you ready for it?”

  
  


**_KIM JONGDAE AND KIM MINSEOK SPOTTED IN A PARK WITH A CHILD, IT COUPLE FINALLY SETTLING DOWN? SALES OF THEIR FIRST ALBUM “BEEN THROUGH” EXCEED 5 MILLION DOMESTIC PHYSICAL COPIES._ **

_ Once again, the it couple have now been seen in a park, which was nearby Xiumin’s café, Mirae. They were seen to be walking to a children’s playground with a pair of children with them. Fans speculate that these were the children that they have said that they had been preparing adoption papers for. In the same time, their debut album “Been Through” breaks barriers as they are the first couple in Korea to debut as an official married duo. Summation of their pre-orders came up to 3 million during the first 2 weeks of the order period.  _

Birds chirping.

The cats purring in their sleep, cuddling in their own bed.. 

The alarm on their phones vibrating quickly to signal the time for them to wake up. 

It was another great Friday, and they think it’s going to be special like other days. 

Minseok is the first one to get up, leaving a kiss on Jongdae’s forehead, before he pads to their children’s room, checking on them before starting on their breakfast. It’s his turn to make some food today, so he’s planning on making something special. He sends Junmyeon a quick text like usual, before starting on their family meal. 

As he cooks another batch of pancakes, chocolate for the kids and blueberries for his husband and himself, he hears soft steps of slippers get closer. He welcomes the soft pair of hands that encircle his waist, as well as the soft scent of vanilla and lemon that seep through his nose, making him smile. 

“Good morning to you too, sleepy head,” Minseok whispers while he continues to cook. Jongdae only grunts in reply, sleepily kissing his nape, before helping him in the kitchen. Minseok looks at his sleepy husband, smiling after all of the things that had happened, they were back together. 

“What are you staring at? Am I too gorgeous to be real?” Jongdae jokes, ruffling his bed hair to at least make himself look presentable when Junmyeon and Jongin come in for their joint breakfast. Minseok’s eyes travel to the engagement ring in Jongdae’s ring finger, then to the wedding ring. He still can’t believe that they were now back together and the whole time they are, it’s merely pure bliss. 

“I’m just… remembering stuff.”

**END**

  
  
  
  
  



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